Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-02T19:25:20.007Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Psychiatric disorders as a factor in sick-leave due to other diagnoses

A general population-based study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Gunnel Hensing  and
Fredrik Spak
Gunnel Hensing*
Affiliation:
Department of Environment and Health, Linköpings Universitet, Sweden
Fredrik Spak
Affiliation:
Department of Social Medicine, Göteborgs Universitet, Sweden
*
Gunnel Hensing, Department of Environment and Health. Division for Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, 5-581 85, Linköping, Sweden. Tel: 46-13 22 18 18; Fax: 46-13 22 18 65; e-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

The aim was to analyse the role of psychiatric disorders in sick-leave in different sick-leave diagnoses.

Method

A stratified population-based sample of women (n=292) in Göteborg were interviewed, and diagnoses were made according to DSM–III–R. Sick-leave data, including diagnoses, were obtained for two years.

Results

Women with psychiatric disorders had an increased number of sick-leave spells and sick-leave days in all the sick-leave diagnostic groups. The largest differences between the two groups of women were found in mental disorders, diseases of the locomotor system and gastro-intestinal diseases. The association between psychiatric disorders and sick-leave was strongest in older age groups.

Conclusions

Unrecognised psychiatric disorders associated with an increased number of medical complaints and visits can be an important factor in the increase in sick-leave.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 172 , Issue 3 , March 1998 , pp. 250 - 256
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

American Psychiatric Association (1987) MINI–D–R Diagnostiska kriterier enligt DSM–III–R (in Swedish: Quick Reference to the Diagnostic Criteria from DSM–III–R). Kristianstad: Pilgrim Press.Google Scholar
Cottier, L. B., Heizer, J. E., Mager, D., et al (1991) Agreement between DSM–III and III–R. substance use disorders. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 29, 17–25.Google Scholar
Goldberg, D. & Bridges, K. (1987) Screening for psychiatric illness in general practice: the general practitioner versus the screening questionnaire. Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners, 37, 15–18.Google Scholar
Hansson, L. L., Borgquist, L., Nettelbladt, P., et al (1994) The course of psychiatric illness in primary care patients. A 1-year follow-up. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 29, 1–7.Google Scholar
Hensing, G. (1997) Sickness Absence and Psychiatric Disorder – Epidemiological Findings and Methodological Considerations. Medical dissertation, 521, Linköpings Universitet, Linköping, Sweden.Google Scholar
Hensing, G., Alexanderson, K., Akerlind, I., et al (1995) Sick-leave due to minor psychiatric morbidity: role of sex integration. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 1, 39–43.Google Scholar
Hensing, G., Alexanderson, K., Allebeck, P., et al (1996) Sick-leave due to psychiatric disorder: higher incidence among women and longer duration for men. British Journal of Psychiatry, 169. 740–746.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hensing, G., Spak, F., Alexanderson, K., et al (1997) Sick-leave among women and the role of psychiatric disorder. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 3, 185–192.Google Scholar
Härkäpää, K. (1992) Psychosocial factors as predictors for early retirement in patients with chronic low back pain. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 6, 553–59.Google Scholar
Jenkins, R. (1985a) Minor psychiatric morbidity in employed young men and women and its contribution to sickness absence. British Journal of Industrial Medicine, 42, 147–154.Google Scholar
Jenkins, R. (1985b) Sex differences in minor psychiatric morbidity. Psychological Medicine, monograph supplement 7.Google Scholar
Kaplan, G. A. & Terry, C. (1983) Perceived health and mortality: a nine-year follow-up of the human population laboratory cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology, 3, 292–304.Google Scholar
Kristensen, T. S. (1991) Sickness absence and work strain among Danish slaughterhouse workers: an analysis of absence from work regarded as coping behaviour. Social Science and Medicine, 1, 15–27.Google Scholar
Ljungdahl, L. & Bjurulf, P. (1991) The accordance of diagnoses in a computerized sick-leave register with doctor's certificates and medical records. Scandinavian Journal of Social Medicine, 3. 148–153.Google Scholar
Marmot, M. A., Feeney, A., Shipley, M., et al (1995) Sickness absence as a measure of health status and functioning: from the UK Whitehall II study. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 49, 124–130.Google Scholar
Payloel, E. S. & Priest, R. G. (1992) Recognition and management of depression in general practice: consensus statement. British Medical Journal, 305, 1198–1202.Google Scholar
Statistics Sweden (1982) Socioekonomisk indelning (SEI; in Swedish) (Swedish socio-economic classification). Stockholm: Statistics Sweden.Google Scholar
Spak, F. (1994) Women and Alcohol in Göteborg: An Epidemiological Study of female Alcoholism and Alcohol-Related Problems . Medical dissertation. Göteborgs Universitet, Göteborg, Sweden.Google Scholar
Spak, F. & Hällström, T. (1996) Screening for alcohol dependence and abuse in women: description, validation, and psychometric properties of a new screening instrument, SWAG, in a population study. Alcoholism: Clinicol and Experimertal Research, 4, 723–731.Google Scholar
Stansfeld, S., Feeney, A., Head, J., et al (1995) Sickness absence for psychiatric illness: the Whitehall II study. Social Science and Medicine, 2, 189–197.Google Scholar
Widmer, R. B. & Cadoret, R. J. (1979) Depression in family practice: changes in pattern of patient visits and complaints during subsequent developing depressions. Journal of Family Practice, 6, 1017–1021.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (1975) Ninth Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD–9). Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.